Elias Nordling - Sep 20, 2004 4:10 pm (#4280 Total: 4280)   
"Elias is God's gift to developers/designers . . . exactly 
which god we're not sure." RHB    
  
Prestonpans again

I don't know if this is good or bad news, but... 

I actually had a very close game of Prestonpans! 

The game started with two English activations, in which the
inexperienced troops shuffled to the rear while the dragoons moved up
front. 

Then the Scots got to go for two activations. One activation to set up a
charge, the other to execute it. 

Unfortunately for the Scots, the Dragoons chose to retreat away, with
the exception of two units, who, because of the rookies being in the
way, were unable to retreat. Those two units were promptly dispatched,
so far so good. 2 Rout points to the English. 

Then things started to unravel, as the English got 4 activations in a
row! First, the three highlanders that had actually charged got whacked,
two by rolling a 9 on a morale test, the third by the sole regular
infantry unit. Then the Dragoons charged the rest of the Scottish line
with great effect. Their fire was effective, so the charges went in
against disorganized units, with good effect. 

The regular infantry joined the fight, and when the smoke cleared, there
were only 3 Scottish units left, their rout points up to 16! Some of the
Dragoons got a bit overenthusiastic and charged while disordered. They
got some attacker disordered results and were routed, putting the
English at 4 points. 

Incredibly, the Scots passed their rout check (the English, crappy that
they are, had to test too, and passed). The Scots got to make a two turn
riposte, taking out the remaining regulars. The rout points were now at
16 for the Scots, 8 for the English, and both players failed their
checks. 

So, I guess it was a draw, the rules don't say what happens when both
fail their rout checks. The English certainly deserved the win, helped
by the fact that the English got six moves when the Scots got 2, and
they had some really good combat rolls. 

In any case, it looked nothing like the auto-rout described in the
scenario instructions. And in fact, if the English get the first two
activations (not unlikely, they get the first for free and have a 30 %
chance at the second) to reshuffle their troops, this one can get close.